The Porcelain Mind
by Hanagumo
Summary: Ruvik was not the only perilous threat inside the STEM System. There was someone else. She was impenetrable and resistant to his attacks. But the twisted genius knew that she could break so easily. He simply waited for the fall, so he could bring those pieces back together. Platonic!OCxRuvik. No eventual pairing as of yet!


**Act One – Shattering World**

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Chapter One

Broken Engagement

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Philomena felt unsteady as she slipped away from the tendrils of another nightmare. The experience drained most of her restoring vitality, but she still had the insistence to rise. There was a voice: it spoke with a hollow sound, as if subdued by a rush of wind or water. The unknown presence stopped her movements. Before long, that same person handled her; lifting her up and supporting her into a sitting posture. The touches were undeniably tender: she rested her head against the pillow, and felt relaxed.

There was an air of inexpressible relief, a peaceful influence of protection and refuge. And yet, Philomena was not entirely assured if this person was a product of her delirium. Though it was hard to see him through the confusion, for she was certain that it was, in fact, a gentleman, she could almost identify the line of an impeccable face that was pure in shape. By some means, she knew who he was, but she had a difficult time figuring out where she had last seen him. But, either way, Philomena was sheltered in his attendance.

A hand, neither warm nor cold rested upon her crown, and began to caress her. Surprisingly, she welcomed this peculiarly kind gesture and sighed. In five minutes more, the cloak of indistinctness was raised up, and she took her time to assemble her demeanor—the room was chilly, for there was no fireplace to keep it warm. She heard the closing of a heavy metal door, followed by the piercing sound of a lock moving to its respectful place.

Her room was silent, because it was separated from the other compartments and chambers. Hitherto, who came to her just now? It definitely wasn't Manuela, her dependable caregiver, or even Doctor Jimenez. At the simple thought of the man, her stomach quickly dropped, and the light above her flickered violently. Sorrow and hostility weighed her down like anchors, and she could feel the hot tears gathering at the corners of her eyes. No, she thought, this was not the time to dwell on those feelings. Philomena then carefully moved to sit on the edge of her little bed.

Suddenly, there were footsteps approaching: the stride was hasty, and the feet were clearly bare. She held her breath for a minute.

_BANG—_the iron door shook from the force.

Philomena's hands immediately flew to her mouth, and silenced the frightened whimpers. She couldn't see who it was on the outside, because her viewing window was sealed shut. The hammering quickly came to an end, and whoever had been there was grunting angrily. When the ruckus vanished bit by bit, the door had unlocked on its own accord, and it was gently pushed open by an unseen energy. Philomena waited. The blow of panic had passed; it was then replaced with an unhealthy spell of curiosity. Her heart slowed its beating until the electrifying surge flowing through her arms dwindled. She moved with a hesitant pace, and stepped out into the dimly lit corridor.

Here, the walls were a soft fawn color, with a blush of pink in it. The floorboards were made of darkly polished old mahogany. Philomena sauntered down the passage, perceptively brooding on the unnatural silence of the strange situation. She noticed that there were no further paths she could take, except for the one she was currently located in. Then, she saw something moving in the dark shadows. Her breathing paused once more. She progressed closer to examine it: a great creature with dark red fur slithered past her, provoking a loud shriek from the girl. Quickly as it appeared, the greyhound bounced back, and barked until the walls echoed the sound.

"Sanyi!" said Philomena, obviously delighted to see her adorable canine companion. The dog drew near her at the call of his name, and snuffed his master with tender eagerness.

"I'm so glad to see you too," she sighed blissfully, and got down on her knees to fully engulf her pet in a firm embrace. "I'm sorry for my long absences, Jimenez kept me busy." Sanyi groaned angrily, before he nestled his long muzzle against his master's shoulder.

Philomena couldn't help but laugh gently. She kissed the top of his nose and stood. Now that she had her friend, she was able to gather enough courage to explore this setting. She continued, wary of the lack of doorways as well. Before she could take another step, however, a blinding white light flashed into her eyes, rendering her blind for a brief second. Sanyi grumbled, confused and distressed. There was a silhouette of a man in front of her, and then he walked away, calmly, and disappeared into a door accented with oak etchings.

The apparition eventually ended; Philomena blinked to restore her cloudy eyesight. She glanced down at Sanyi, who was still whimpering. Was that…? It might've been him. The girl came towards the lone door, and she reached out to grasp the cool gilded doorknob. The obstruction was unquestionably heavy, for it creaked as she pulled it open to see a very dark room—situated in the middle of it was a spotlight beaming down on a velvety red Duchesse brisée chaise longue. Sanyi ran up to the furniture and immediately mounted it to recline on the cushions. Sensing no danger, Philomena took a seat as well, and then reclined against the comfortable upholstery. She sighed; her eyes began to close, and she could hear indistinct music somewhere behind her. Sanyi raised his head and growled menacingly. Something else was lurking in the room, and it was disrupting the atmosphere.

"_Philomena, what on earth are you still doing there, child?_"

Her eyes quickly flew open at the authority of the voice. She sat up, and was startled to realize that she had been moved to a different place: it was the presidential suite of a grand hotel—The Seraphim, to be exact. Standing before her was a livid Estéban Vicioso, he was a tall man with a handsome head of silver hair, and an air of pride soaring over him. He was wearing an expensive white ensemble that was beautifully cut in the Italian fashion. Her father stood by the door with his gloved hands clasped behind him, waiting for his daughter to answer his question. Philomena shifted her gaze onto her lap: she was now clad in a plush Turkish bathrobe. The answer was immediate—

"I'm waiting for my gown to arrive, Father," said she. Estéban looked at her as though she suddenly smelled foul. He turned and faced the door afterward.

"_Uncultured swine, do they not know that this is an important event?_" he hissed, mainly to the darkness, and he disappeared from her sight.

Soon after, a maid replaced him. She entered the suite carrying a cardboard box held together by a russet ribbon. It was large enough to put a small child inside it. In all honesty, Philomena valued the garment that her father had sensibly ordered from a leading designer. It was a deep-red silk charmeuse ball gown with a sweetheart neckline and a plunging back. The garment was severe in its simplicity. It was most spectacular…and it had been her last.

Philomena stood and shrugged off her bathrobe while the maid held her gown aloft. She could perceive the low grumble of Sanyi, but her greyhound was nowhere in the room. She stepped into the dress, feeling the light fabric fluttering about her like mist, and it settled on her slender frame, as though it was meant for her. Her red high-heeled shoes came next, and she was then doused in a sweet-smelling perfume.

"_Good, you're all dressed up, and not a single hair out of place!_" her father's voice echoed in her head. "_This is an important event, Philomena. Every one of my associates has come tonight, and I need you to be quiet. Do not mention anything unusual to our guests, not even to Sir Arminton_._ Have I made myself clear, young lady?_"

"Yes, father."

The Ballroom had been transformed into a twinkling winter wonderland: the crystal chandeliers were hung with softly beaded strings of rhinestones, and glorious white roses bloomed everywhere, from the beautiful three-foot tall centerpieces, to the massive garlands on every archway. A snow-white carpet on the marble floor led the way from the front reception room into the ballroom proper.

The gentlemen looked dashing in their costumes; the women oddly thin and impossibly stylish in their couture gowns. It was a magical event. But she and her husband-to-be were the only ones dressed in crimson get-ups, harvesting the courtesy of each and every illustrious company. Philomena bowed her head, unable to withstand the concluding moments of her short freedom.

A loud bang shocked her out of the memory, and red light seeped into the chamber. The same figure was there, motionless and intimidating. Philomena gathered her skirts, turning the other way to escape this intruding creature. But she found herself trapped when the doors had vanished into the walls, imposing her into a situation with no way out of it.

The hooded man leisurely wandered over to her, emitting strange supernatural vibrations that caused the girl to hunch over and grasp her aching head. She could feel her insides coil grotesquely, and hissed when the piercing sensation of barbed wires restricted her cranium. A growling noise filled her ears. Philomena was stunned and choking in tears that abruptly burst out of her eyes.

"_I won't let you get away with this_…" the hooded man protested.

She blindly ran, shoving at anything that obstructed her path. Another loud crash, and she lost her equilibrium. She had thrown herself out of a great stained glass window; now Philomena was falling down a void that seemed never-ending. She could not scream. She was moving further away from the light, casted off like Lucifer and his fallen angels. Her heart beat thick in her chest, her head suddenly grew hot, and, before long, she was consumed by a mysterious glow. A long and unusual sound traded all of the surreal noises. Gray figures flashed in and out of her view.

"Miss Vicioso, can you hear me?"

It took a while, but Philomena recaptured her stamina to wake for the second time. She was inside an office, with plain white walls, olive green filing cabinets, a large bureau, and a round wall clock. It smelled of antiseptics and bleach. She sat up from the lounger, clothed in the familiar uniform of Beacon Mental Hospital. The irritating tick of the clock made her headache worse, and she couldn't help but rub at the sore spot near her brow. Doctor Jimenez sat behind his desk like the high official he was: he looked dissatisfied.

"This is the third time you've blanked out on me," Doctor Jimenez explained wisely. He then added, "Are you feeling ill, Miss Vicioso?"

She hardly dared to answer him straightforwardly, but the itch in the back of her head caused her to react against her will. "I'm fine," she mumbled, hoping that the prickling would be gone soon. Doctor Jimenez, however, deemed it appropriate to extend this bane.

"Alright then," he said. He moved to jot down on his notepad. "Is there anything else you would like to add to this session?"

Without pondering over her words, Philomena said, "I wish Amyntas was here…" She noticed the break in the doctor's writing, and the slow buildup of sweat on his head. "That way, I wouldn't have to bother cleaning myself afterwards."

"You are dismissed, Miss Vicioso." Doctor Jimenez suddenly announced.

Philomena quietly smiled, pleased that she was the eventual winner in the battlefield, and got up to leave the office. And so, she decided to ignore the lingering pain in her skull.

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**Author's Note #1**

Hey everyone, I'm Hanagumo and thank you for reading my first The Evil Within fanficion! I had a hard time trying to find an appropriate plot for this particular genre, because I'll be honest with you, horror is usually not my style, unless it was requested. Therefore, this was fanfic made more out of a need to do so, rather than a demand. The Evil Within was an awesome game, it left me hanging at the end, and as a curious person I just had to get hooked on it.

I must warn you though, I often use the writing styles of Jane Austen and Charlotte Bronte, so if you're confused, then go read more English classical novels to adjust your frame of mind, since I won't be responsible for migraines and nosebleeds.

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**Symbolism**

(Please note, I am always willing to explain the symbols hidden in each chapter. So, without further ado, here comes the Symbolism portion!)

You're quickly introduced to Philomena Vicioso, a patient of Beacon Mental Hospital, who is under the care of Doctor Marcelo Jimenez and an unseen nurse named Manuela. It's quite obvious that she doesn't show any amiable feelings towards her caretaker, but that will be explained soon enough. Unless, of course, you've played the entire game and part one of the DLC, then you know why my character is a little hostile to him.

In her mindscape, Philomena can only think of corridors with no additional pathways, because she feels trapped and is forced to go down the same lane that the others (Mobius and Jimenez particularly) want her to walk on. She doesn't have a choice, which is why Sanyi, her red greyhound, appeared to give his master some encouragement. Afterwards, a hooded man came to disturb the system, and led Philomena to a door with oak carvings.

Oak happens to be the doorway to the ethereal planes of higher and deeper thoughts, according to Celtic lore. In this case, the door symbolizes the access into her own mind, and it summoned the memory of the red chaise longue, as well as the Engagement Party. Through this, the hooded man tried to come in contact with her, but something else ended the memory, thus losing her link to him. Philomena wakes up in her doctor's office, confused and angry.

The mention of Amyntas, however, will be explained soon.

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**Author's Note #2**

Originally, Philomena was supposed to be Gabriela Victoriano, the youngest sister to Laura and Ruben. But certain circumstances made me realize that she was not appropriate for Ruben's twisted character, so she was scrapped for the meantime. Later on, I decided to try again, and this name popped out for some reason I could never recall, and I had to research it.

Eventually, I stumbled upon Saint Philomena, the patroness of youth, lost causes, and virginity. Of course, I had the idea of using 'Philomela' from the Greek Mythology, but I didn't like how it sounded with Ruvik's husky voice, and Sebastian's gruff tone. It's like waving your tongue continuously.

If you're wondering about it...Yes, Philomena is compatible with Ruvik, but she is labeled 'unstable and disruptive' by Doctor Jimenez.

As for pairings, there won't be intimate interactions with Ruvik and Philomena, the romance will come later...with either Sebastian or Joseph, I don't know. It will all depend on personal views.

I feel like this is more of a 'two outcasts come together and mourn over their indifference' kind of thing. It is not Stockholm Syndrome, just to clarify some of it. Their relationship will be explained anyhow.

And yes, Leslie will be waddling along with them.

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**The Evil Within belongs to Tango Gameworks and Shinji Mikami. **

**Hanagumo owns Philomena Vicioso, and other characters not related to the canon plot.**


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